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# Rise & fall of music formats show ‘the process of creative destruction’
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/rise-fall-of-music-formats-show-the-process-of-creative-destruction/
- Published: 2023-02-27T15:54:36.000Z
- Updated: 2023-02-27T15:54:40.000Z
- Description: As the multi-year resurgence in vinyl proved, and Taylor Swift’s recent download flash sale reaffirmed, old music formats seldom really die. But their trajectory does reveal what James English calls. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2023/02/rise-fall-of-music-formats-show-the-proces
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Music Business, Streaming, Vinyl, Cassettes & Retail, DIY, DIY musicians, music, music industry, musician, musicians, Spotify, YouTube, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 09:44

As the multi-year resurgence in vinyl proved, and [Taylor Swift’s recent download flash sale ](https://www.hypebot.com/digital-downloads-still-have-value-and-taylor-swift-just-should-how/)reaffirmed, old music formats seldom really die. But their trajectory does reveal what James English calls “the process of creative destruction.”

This video, created by Eagle using RIAA data, tracks sales of different music formats in the U.S. over the last 50 years.

“They show the process of creative destruction,” he writes. “(music formats) show the shift from analog to digital. They even demonstrate the move from physical to intangible.”

Below the video, we’ve also posted a similar 2018 graphic from [The Visual Capitalist](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/music-industry-sales/?ref=hypebot.com) that inspired Eagle which tracked similar data. It’s amazing how much changed in just four years.

### From 2018

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/95/3a957c06-c825-4057-9939-0a274cc16d23/content/images/www-visualcapitalist-com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/30-years-of-music-sales-2.png)

**Bruce Houghton* is the Founder and Editor of [Hypebot](https://www.hypebot.com/) and [MusicThinkTank](http://www.musicthinktank.com/?ref=hypebot.com), a Senior Advisor at [Bandsintown](https://www.bandsintown.com/?ref=hypebot.com), President of the[ Skyline Artists Agency](https://skylineonline.com/?ref=hypebot.com), and a professor for the [Berklee College Of Music](https://online.berklee.edu/courses/touring-101?ref=hypebot.com).*